


No Greater GIft

by CoupdeFruita



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Decorations, Christmas Movies, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Irondad, Irondad Secret Santa 2019, Light Angst, Platonic Affection, spiderson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:22:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21965620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoupdeFruita/pseuds/CoupdeFruita
Summary: Tony decides to take Peter and May in for their first Christmas together. As he tries to give them the best he can offer, he learns a couple of things about family and the holidays.
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 10
Kudos: 47
Collections: Iron Dad Secret Santa 2019





	No Greater GIft

**Author's Note:**

> [Нет подарка лучше](https://ficbook.net/readfic/9026935/comments#content)

"Is this one good?"

Peter examines the tree. He looks it up and down as he walks in a semi-circle around it, his eyes searching through every intricate detail he can manage in a short amount of time. He shoves his hands into his pockets and shrugs. "It's whatever you want, Mr. Stark. You're the one paying for it."

Tony almost sighs. He goes through all of the trouble of convincing May to let him have the kid for the weekend so they can figure out this whole Christmas issue, and Peter pretends he doesn't even care. What's with that? "Yeah, but I don't have the eye for this stuff that you do. I want your opinion."

Peter frowns. "You don't get Christmas trees?"

"Pepper and Rhodey usually take care of the decorations," Tony says with a dismissive wave of the hand. "I'm a very busy man."

"Busy stalking around the front of our apartment for three hours," Peter scoffs.

Tony pushes Peter playfully as they head down the next aisle of trees. "May wasn't returning my calls, what else should I have done? Besides, I was catching up on tons of work waiting for you sloths."

"Like napping?"

"Pick out a damn tree."

* * *

"Does the reindeer look better here, or over there?"

Tony positions the ornament in one spot, takes a step back, and then shakes his head and moves it somewhere else. Peter shrugs, busy haphazardly hanging a handful of candy canes wherever they'll fit. He might as well have thrown them all at the tree and seen where they’d land. "I don't think it matters that much."

"Doesn't matter," Tony mocks, hovering the ornament over several more spots until a nicely positioned branch makes itself apparent. " _Doesn't matter_. Can you believe him, FRIDAY?"

"Actually, I will side with Peter on this one," FRIDAY responds. "Does it really matter that much?"

Tony rolls his eyes. "You are a traitor."

Peter laughs. Once finished with the candy canes, he hops over to the box of ornaments and begins piling them on his fingers. "Watch and learn, old man," he snarks before randomly assigning all of his ornaments a place on the tree. "It'll look great in the end, trust me."

"I suppose you are the expert." Tony picks up more ornaments and places them wherever they'll fit.

"It seems wrong, but it feels so right."

That's how they spend the next half-hour. Peter hooks a few ornaments to Tony's shirt, lamenting on about the ugly sweaters May wears for competitions at the hospital. His enthusiasm begins to taper off the more he talks, though Tony tries to keep him going. Once the tree’s done, Peter takes plenty of steps back to admire their work.

With his fingers nervously tied around each other, the kid clears his throat and glances away. "You didn't have to do this, Mr. Stark. Our Christmases have been just fine before."

Tony knows that; May wouldn't have ever allowed their lack of income to ruin such an important holiday. He wasn't sure why he'd been compelled to offer to spend the holiday with the Parkers this year. The compound, despite its several inhabitants, had always felt lonely this time of year with most of the others either gone to spend time with other family or hiding from the law. Their presence had seemed like it would be an easy fix.

"No, I didn't," Tony responds. "Doesn't matter. I wanted to."

Peter's brows furrow. "Why?"

Tony shrugs. "I like you, Peter. You and your aunt. Why not?"

Peter bites his lip but says nothing else.

* * *

"I just... I have no idea what to get her. It's not like I can afford anything nice, anyway." Peter glances over an assortment of necklaces and earrings. He picks one up, then sets it back down with a sigh. "She's done so much for me. She deserves something amazing."

"Don't worry about the cost, Pete." Tony pats the kid on the arm and leads him away from the cheap jewelry. "Just find something that speaks about her and I'll handle the rest."

"Mr. Stark," Peter begins, his voice so heavy and eyes so apologetic in the way they are before the kid's modesty starts to shine. "You don't have to—"

"No need to be humble around me. Less whining, more looking."

Peter shakes his head as he glances around. Numerous twitches and wrinkles expose the several, inconsistent emotions flashing through his head, but all he says is, "She deserves better than this."

Tony doesn't really know what _this_ is, but he doesn't want to pry. He leads Peter out of the store and to a bench resting in the middle of the hall. He pulls out his phone and hands it to the kid, who reacts with a confused frown and hesitant acceptance. "If you can't find anything in the mall, then the Internet is your next best bet. Loaded with junk, but you'll find a diamond in the rough every so often. You could even get supplies to make something, if she's into that stuff."

Peter looks at the phone and accidentally knocks his shoulder against Tony's. "I'm not very… crafty."

"You're a genius, you'll figure something out," Tony says with a reciprocating, intentional nudge. "As long as it comes from you, I know she'll love it."

"Are you sure, Mr. Stark?"

Tony slings his arm around Peter and ruffles his hair. "Of course. You're her kid. That's all that matters."

* * *

When Tony wakes up, it's to a risen sun and the scent of breakfast wafting through the air.

He groans and shifts, but finds his arm pinned under a very soundly-sleeping body. Peter is curled up next to him, one of his arms strewn over Tony's chest. He wheezes lightly in his sleep, his curls falling into his eyes and his expression content. Tony would brush his hair out of the way, but he fears waking the child. He pushes himself up into a more comfortable position slowly, cursing the kinks in his neck and being careful to not jostle Peter too much.

May makes her way over with a plate of food and quietly hands it to Tony. Bacon and eggs and a waffle—and all prepared just to his liking. "Morning, sunshine. Pepper made breakfast."

Tony hums and balances the plate in his lap. He glances at the kid once more before settling in to eat one-handed. May is watching him with a strangely pleasant expression. "Compromising position, but kids are hell to put to bed, I assume."

"The difficulty's only tripled since the powers," May nods. She sits down beside him, cradling a cup of coffee and gazing at Peter. "I'd imagine he's exhausted, anyway. I don't know why you thought sitting down for a movie marathon would be helpful."

Yeah, the movie marathon. If Tony remembers correctly, they'd gotten a few good hours of Chrismas movies in before everyone started dropping into dreamland. He must've blacked out around the end of _A Christmas Story_. "Got him to sleep, didn't I?"

"Fair enough," May concedes.

Pepper swings around the other side of the couch, nursing two mugs of steaming caffeine. "Here you are, sir. I've memorized your specifications at least a hundred times over."

"Have I ever told you," Tony begins, taking his new festive mug that Peter had found desirable, "that I'd be lost without you?"

"You don't have to tell me." Pepper pecks him on the cheek as he takes an overzealous sip of his coffee. "I already know."

Tony sighs and leans back into the couch. His hand rubs Peter's back, though he isn't sure if he's doing it intentionally or unconsciously through his sleep-addled mind. May watches with a smile out of the corner of her eye, and Pepper hides her own behind her coffee mug. The tv had long since turned itself off, but when it's turned back on at a low volume, it's paused at the beginning of _The Polar Express_.

Tony gestures to Peter with his head. "Should we wake him up, start with the presents?"

May purses her lips and shakes her head. "Let him rest. He looks pretty comfortable."

"It's a good fit," Pepper adds. She gives him a soft, considering look, then turns back to the tv. The movie had continued playing.

"Yeah," Tony hums. "He's a good kid."

Soon enough, Tony falls right back to sleep.


End file.
